Why do we make new year’s resolutions? I imagine most of us have made some commitment to nutrition, diet, debt reduction, or family commitment. These goals can certainly be positive, and I am all in favor of creating lofty goals. However, we desire an ideal and assume we can get there overnight. It takes long and consistent discipline to lose weight, pay off debt, or change behavior. Oftentimes when a person discovers it takes a long time and lots of work, they quit.
Truthfully the challenge today in this blog isn’t about resolutions, but I have counseled many families and marriages that expect the ideal but don’t anticipate the work it takes. We recently began a sermon series called Generations. Over the next 5 weeks, we will consider the roles in a family from marriage to parents to grandparents with the aim being to identify the biblical principles expected to experience God’s desire and develop a personal action plan for you and your family to build a faith legacy.
We have to start somewhere, and it is alright if that starting point looks like a resolution. Strive with a perspective that considers the relational unity called for in Ephesians 5:21, where we read, “submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.” The simple truth is that every relationship is more healthy when every individual recognizes the authority of Jesus and walks in the humility that He modeled.
If you desire to see a difference in your family relationships this year, begin with a submissive heart that acknowledges Jesus as Lord and pushes others to strive to look like Him. This commitment and passion can be an accelerant for maturity that will push beyond a temporary resolution that is destined for failure, and instead, spur your family to a legacy of faith.